Duane Kuiper
Encyclopedia
Duane Eugene Kuiper is a former Major League Baseball
second baseman
, and is currently a five-time Emmy award
-winning radio and television sportscaster
for the San Francisco Giants
. Along with former major league pitcher
Mike Krukow
, he forms the broadcast duo known as "Kruk and Kuip".
out of Jerome I. Case High School
in Racine, Wisconsin
in the twelfth round of the 1968 Major League Baseball Draft
, but chose instead to attend Indian Hills Community College
. He was drafted by the Seattle Pilots
, Chicago White Sox
and Cincinnati Reds
while attending Indian Hills, but did not sign with any of these clubs. After a season at Southern Illinois University
, he was drafted by the Boston Red Sox
in the fourth round of the 1971 June Secondary Amateur Draft, but again did not sign. It wasn't until graduating from Southern Illinois that Kuiper finally said yes to the Cleveland Indians
, who drafted him in the first round of the 1972 January Secondary Amateur Draft.
Kuiper spent three seasons in the Indians' farm system, batting
.295 with six home runs and 148 runs batted in before receiving a September call-up in . He made his major league debut on September 9 as a late inning defensive replacement for Jack Brohamer
, and grounded into a double play
in his only at-bat. However, he fared far better in his future plate appearances, collecting nine singles
, two doubles
, two walks
and four RBIs in 24 plate appearances.
's batting order. Following the season, the Indians dealt Brohamer to the White Sox, clearing a spot for Kuiper to play everyday.
Though Kuiper was not much of an offensive threat to opposing teams, he proved to be an above average defender, leading American League
second basemen in fielding percentage
in and . He hit his only career home run
against Chicago White Sox pitcher
Steve Stone
on August 29, . Kuiper holds the major league record for most career at-bats with exactly one home run. Since the game in question was on national television, Kuiper's singular feat was captured on video. (The Giants telecasts, for which Kuiper is currently an announcer, will run the highlight from time to time to poke fun at him.)
On July 27, , Kuiper hit two bases-loaded triples
against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. He is one of only three Major League players to accomplish this feat.
Shortly after Kuiper suffered a knee injury that caused him to miss most of the season, the Indians acquired Alan Bannister
from the White Sox. The two platooned at second in . Following the season, Kuiper was dealt to the San Francisco Giants for pitcher Ed Whitson
.
Joe Morgan
his first season in San Francisco, and batted .255 in three plus seasons platooning at second for the Giants before being released by the club on June 28, .
. Kuiper, a five-time Emmy Award
winner, is the play-by-play broadcaster for games on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area.
Both Krukow and Kuiper can be heard in the Electronic Arts
video games MVP Baseball 2003, MVP Baseball 2004, and MVP Baseball 2005
. Kuiper made the TV call for Barry Bonds
' historic 756th home run which broke Hank Aaron's record, although the historic call is that of KNBR
radio announcer Jon Miller
. His call of Bonds' 715th home run to pass Babe Ruth
however is considered the historic call for that home run as radio announcer Dave Flemming
's microphone cut out at the exact moment the ball was hit.
On November 1, 2010, Kuiper made the historic call for the final out of the Game 5 of the 2010 World Series
that eventually led the Giants to their first title since :
While principally a television play-by-play announcer, Kuiper also shares radio play-by-play duties with Dave Flemming
when the Giants television broadcast is carried by NBC or ESPN and Jon Miller
handles the television play-by-play. He also fills in on the radio side when Flemming is unable to attend games due to his second job as a Stanford Cardinal
radio announcer. During Giants post-season play, Kuiper along with other available Giants broadcasters all move to the radio side while the television broadcasts are handled by network sportscasters.
Kuiper also has a deep voice when a player swings and misses, when a dramatic play is made, and when he calls home runs. When Kuiper states the pitch count on a batter, he would often call "nothing" in lieu of calling "a ball" and the current number of strikes when the count is "no balls". Kuiper often uses the phrase "Got 'em!" for when an out is recorded. His trademark home run call is "He hits it high... hits it deep... it is (or hits it) OUTTA HERE!" or "HIGH DRIVE...LEFT (or RIGHT) FIELD... IT IS (sometimes: THIS BABY IS) OUTTA HERE!"
Kruk and Kuip are also famous for their line, "Grab some pine, meat!" when a batter strikes out.
In May 2010, Kuiper coined a new slogan from a fan's sign for the SF Giants club: "Giants baseball... torture!" This slogan is used generally if the games are either tense, tight, or very close in which the Giants have later won by a small margin.
in Carbondale, Illinois
, where he was a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon
Fraternity. His roommate was Dan Radison
, currently the first base coach for the Washington Nationals
. Kuiper now lives in Danville, California
, with his wife Michelle, son Cole, and daughter Dannon.
Duane was only the first of a family of baseball broadcasters, all working in the San Francisco Bay Area. His younger brother, Glen Kuiper
, is the play-by-play announcer for the Oakland Athletics
, a job mirroring his older brother's a few miles across the bay. Their middle brother, Jeff, is a television producer for the Giants who produces Duane's broadcasts.
He is the cousin of former MLB player Dick Bosman
.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
, and is currently a five-time Emmy award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
-winning radio and television sportscaster
Sportscaster
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
for the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
. Along with former major league pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
Mike Krukow
Mike Krukow
Michael Edward "Mike" Krukow is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball. He is currently a television color commentator for the San Francisco Giants.-Early life:...
, he forms the broadcast duo known as "Kruk and Kuip".
Early baseball career
Kuiper was drafted by the New York YankeesNew York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
out of Jerome I. Case High School
Jerome I. Case High School
Jerome I. Case High School is located in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, a suburb of Racine in the United States...
in Racine, Wisconsin
Racine, Wisconsin
Racine is a city in and the county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. According to 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city had a population of 82,196...
in the twelfth round of the 1968 Major League Baseball Draft
1968 Major League Baseball Draft
-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1968 Major League Baseball draft.* Did not sign- Background :The Los Angeles Dodgers laid the groundwork for their championship clubs of the 1970s with an outstanding draft...
, but chose instead to attend Indian Hills Community College
Indian Hills Community College
Indian Hills Community College is a two-year public community college, with campuses located in Ottumwa, Iowa and Centerville, Iowa. I.H.C.C. serves both traditional residential students and commuter students.-History:...
. He was drafted by the Seattle Pilots
Seattle Pilots
The Seattle Pilots were an American professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington for one season, . The Pilots played home games at Sick's Stadium and were a member of the West Division of Major League Baseball's American League...
, Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
and Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
while attending Indian Hills, but did not sign with any of these clubs. After a season at Southern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University is a state university system based in Carbondale, Illinois, in the Southern Illinois region of the state, with multiple campuses...
, he was drafted by the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
in the fourth round of the 1971 June Secondary Amateur Draft, but again did not sign. It wasn't until graduating from Southern Illinois that Kuiper finally said yes to the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
, who drafted him in the first round of the 1972 January Secondary Amateur Draft.
Kuiper spent three seasons in the Indians' farm system, batting
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.295 with six home runs and 148 runs batted in before receiving a September call-up in . He made his major league debut on September 9 as a late inning defensive replacement for Jack Brohamer
Jack Brohamer
John Anthony Brohamer, Jr. was a Major League Baseball second baseman from to . On September 24, , Brohamer hit for the cycle.-External links:...
, and grounded into a double play
Double play
In baseball, a double play for a team or a fielder is the act of making two outs during the same continuous playing action. In baseball slang, making a double play is referred to as "turning two"....
in his only at-bat. However, he fared far better in his future plate appearances, collecting nine singles
Single (baseball)
In baseball, a single is the most common type of base hit, accomplished through the act of a batter safely reaching first base by hitting a fair ball and getting to first base before a fielder puts him out...
, two doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
, two walks
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
and four RBIs in 24 plate appearances.
Cleveland Indians
Though Kuiper spent time with the triple A Oklahoma City 89ers in , he spent most of the season in the majors, splitting time with Brohamer at second base, and batting second in manager Frank RobinsonFrank Robinson
Frank Robinson , is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and manager. He played from 1956–1976, most notably for the Cincinnati Reds and the Baltimore Orioles. He is the only player to win league MVP honors in both the National and American Leagues...
's batting order. Following the season, the Indians dealt Brohamer to the White Sox, clearing a spot for Kuiper to play everyday.
Though Kuiper was not much of an offensive threat to opposing teams, he proved to be an above average defender, leading American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
second basemen in fielding percentage
Fielding percentage
In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball...
in and . He hit his only career home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
against Chicago White Sox pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
Steve Stone
Steve Stone (baseball player)
Steven Michael Stone is an American former Major League Baseball player, and current sportscaster and author....
on August 29, . Kuiper holds the major league record for most career at-bats with exactly one home run. Since the game in question was on national television, Kuiper's singular feat was captured on video. (The Giants telecasts, for which Kuiper is currently an announcer, will run the highlight from time to time to poke fun at him.)
On July 27, , Kuiper hit two bases-loaded triples
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. He is one of only three Major League players to accomplish this feat.
Shortly after Kuiper suffered a knee injury that caused him to miss most of the season, the Indians acquired Alan Bannister
Alan Bannister
Alan Bannister is a retired professional baseball player who played for the Philadelphia Phillies , Chicago White Sox , Cleveland Indians , Houston Astros and Texas Rangers...
from the White Sox. The two platooned at second in . Following the season, Kuiper was dealt to the San Francisco Giants for pitcher Ed Whitson
Ed Whitson
Eddie Lee Whitson is a former Major League Baseball pitcher best remembered for his short and turbulent stint with the New York Yankees in the mid 1980s. He batted and threw right-handed.-Pittsburgh Pirates:...
.
San Francisco Giants
Kuiper backed up Hall of famerNational Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of...
Joe Morgan
Joe Morgan
Joe Leonard Morgan is a former Major League Baseball second baseman who played for the Houston Astros, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, and Oakland Athletics from 1963 to 1984. He won two World Series championships with the Reds in 1975 and 1976 and was also named the...
his first season in San Francisco, and batted .255 in three plus seasons platooning at second for the Giants before being released by the club on June 28, .
Broadcasting career
Kuiper is a radio and television sportscaster for the San Francisco Giants, and is part of the duo known as "Kruk and Kuip" along with former major league pitcher, Mike KrukowMike Krukow
Michael Edward "Mike" Krukow is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball. He is currently a television color commentator for the San Francisco Giants.-Early life:...
. Kuiper, a five-time Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
winner, is the play-by-play broadcaster for games on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area.
Both Krukow and Kuiper can be heard in the Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
video games MVP Baseball 2003, MVP Baseball 2004, and MVP Baseball 2005
MVP Baseball 2005
MVP Baseball 2005 is a baseball video game developed and published by Electronic Arts. It features former Boston Red Sox left fielder Manny Ramirez on its game cover. The game features full Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball, and Major League Baseball Players Association licenses. It...
. Kuiper made the TV call for Barry Bonds
Barry Bonds
Barry Lamar Bonds is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. Bonds played from 1986 to 2007, for the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants. He is the son of former major league All-Star Bobby Bonds...
' historic 756th home run which broke Hank Aaron's record, although the historic call is that of KNBR
KNBR
KNBR, The Sports Leader, is the on-air branding used by two AM radio stations in the San Francisco, California, area broadcasting a sports radio format, owned by Cumulus Media....
radio announcer Jon Miller
Jon Miller
Jon Wallace Miller is an American sportscaster, known primarily for his broadcasts of Major League Baseball. He is currently employed as a play-by-play announcer for the San Francisco Giants. He was also a baseball announcer on ESPN until the network chose not to renew his contract following the...
. His call of Bonds' 715th home run to pass Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
however is considered the historic call for that home run as radio announcer Dave Flemming
Dave Flemming
David Braxton "Dave" Flemming is an American sportscaster and television personality, currently working as a play-by-play announcer for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball as well as the Stanford Cardinal football and basketball teams.Flemming grew up in Alexandria, Virginia,...
's microphone cut out at the exact moment the ball was hit.
On November 1, 2010, Kuiper made the historic call for the final out of the Game 5 of the 2010 World Series
2010 World Series
The 2010 World Series was the 106th occurrence of Major League Baseball's championship series. The best-of-seven playoff, played between the American League champion Texas Rangers and the National League champion San Francisco Giants, began on Wednesday, , and ended on Monday, , with the Giants...
that eventually led the Giants to their first title since :
While principally a television play-by-play announcer, Kuiper also shares radio play-by-play duties with Dave Flemming
Dave Flemming
David Braxton "Dave" Flemming is an American sportscaster and television personality, currently working as a play-by-play announcer for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball as well as the Stanford Cardinal football and basketball teams.Flemming grew up in Alexandria, Virginia,...
when the Giants television broadcast is carried by NBC or ESPN and Jon Miller
Jon Miller
Jon Wallace Miller is an American sportscaster, known primarily for his broadcasts of Major League Baseball. He is currently employed as a play-by-play announcer for the San Francisco Giants. He was also a baseball announcer on ESPN until the network chose not to renew his contract following the...
handles the television play-by-play. He also fills in on the radio side when Flemming is unable to attend games due to his second job as a Stanford Cardinal
Stanford Cardinal
The Stanford Cardinal is the nickname of the athletic teams at Stanford University.-Nickname and mascot history:Following its win over Cal in the first-ever Big Game in 1892, the color cardinal was picked as the primary color of Stanford's athletic teams...
radio announcer. During Giants post-season play, Kuiper along with other available Giants broadcasters all move to the radio side while the television broadcasts are handled by network sportscasters.
Commentating style
Kuiper is noted for his beginning and end phrase, either on television or on the radio: after the result of the first batter of the game, he calls, "And that's how this game gets started"; When each ball game is over, Kuiper calls, "And that's the ball game!"Kuiper also has a deep voice when a player swings and misses, when a dramatic play is made, and when he calls home runs. When Kuiper states the pitch count on a batter, he would often call "nothing" in lieu of calling "a ball" and the current number of strikes when the count is "no balls". Kuiper often uses the phrase "Got 'em!" for when an out is recorded. His trademark home run call is "He hits it high... hits it deep... it is (or hits it) OUTTA HERE!" or "HIGH DRIVE...LEFT (or RIGHT) FIELD... IT IS (sometimes: THIS BABY IS) OUTTA HERE!"
Kruk and Kuip are also famous for their line, "Grab some pine, meat!" when a batter strikes out.
In May 2010, Kuiper coined a new slogan from a fan's sign for the SF Giants club: "Giants baseball... torture!" This slogan is used generally if the games are either tense, tight, or very close in which the Giants have later won by a small margin.
Personal life
Kuiper is a graduate of Southern Illinois UniversitySouthern Illinois University Carbondale
Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a public research university located in Carbondale, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1869, SIUC is the flagship campus of the Southern Illinois University system...
in Carbondale, Illinois
Carbondale, Illinois
Carbondale is a city in Jackson County, in the state of Illinois, within the Southern Illinois region. It is located at the junction of Illinois Route 13 and U.S. Route 51, southeast of St. Louis, Missouri, on the northern edge of the Shawnee National Forest...
, where he was a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon
Tau Kappa Epsilon
Tau Kappa Epsilon is a college fraternity founded on January 10, 1899 at Illinois Wesleyan University with chapters in the United States, and Canada, and affiliation with a German fraternity system known as the Corps of the Weinheimer Senioren Convent...
Fraternity. His roommate was Dan Radison
Dan Radison
Daniel John Radison is an American coach and instructor in professional baseball. On November 20, 2009, he was appointed first-base coach of the Washington Nationals by newly named permanent manager Jim Riggleman....
, currently the first base coach for the Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...
. Kuiper now lives in Danville, California
Danville, California
The Town of Danville is located in the San Ramon Valley in Contra Costa County, California. It is one of the incorporated municipalities in California that uses "town" in its name instead of "city". The population was 42,039 in 2010. Danville is one of the wealthiest suburbs of Oakland and San...
, with his wife Michelle, son Cole, and daughter Dannon.
Duane was only the first of a family of baseball broadcasters, all working in the San Francisco Bay Area. His younger brother, Glen Kuiper
Glen Kuiper
Glen Alan Kuiper is a broadcaster for the Oakland Athletics Major League Baseball team. He is the younger brother of Duane Kuiper, a former Major League player and current broadcaster for the San Francisco Giants...
, is the play-by-play announcer for the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
, a job mirroring his older brother's a few miles across the bay. Their middle brother, Jeff, is a television producer for the Giants who produces Duane's broadcasts.
He is the cousin of former MLB player Dick Bosman
Dick Bosman
Richard Allen Bosman is an American former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He pitched for the Washington Senators , Texas Rangers , Cleveland Indians and Oakland Athletics . Bosman started the final game for the expansion Senators and the first game for the Texas Rangers...
.